HBO has Money Riding on the Success of ABC’s ‘FlashForward’ This Fall

In a deal not uncommon in Hollywood, HBO, which passed on "FlashForward," but doesn’t want to be embarrassed–financially speaking–if it’s a hit on ABC, will be getting paid to avoid any embarrassment, Los Angeles Times Company Town blogger Joe Flint reports.

HBO will get $5,000 to $7,000 for each episode that airs on ABC, plus about 7% of the back end.

Other shows and networks that recently have had similar deals, Flint notes, include "the CW’s "Life Unexpected," which is made by CBS Productions but was originally pitched at Disney’s ABC, which is now on the show’s payroll. CBS, meanwhile, has been getting a cut of the USA drama "In Plain Sight," which is produced by NBC Universal. News Corp.’s 20th Century Fox Television had a stake in "Everybody Hates Chris," which was made by Paramount (now CBS Television Studios) for UPN and later the CW."